Philippe Gilbert wins Montepaschi Strade Bianche

Belgian classics star is the strongest of the favourites over Tuscan white roads

Philippe Gilbert (OmegaPharma-Lotto) won the fifth edition of the Montepaschi Strade Bianche, which crosses the iconic, unsurfaced white roads of the Tuscan region of Italy. The Belgian classics star outsprinted 2008 World champion Alessandro Ballan (BMC Racing) and Damiano Cunego (Lampre-ISD) after a trademark final kilometre attack from Gilbert pulled them clear of a group of 20 riders on the approach to the race finish in the Piazza del Campo, Siena.

“Italy is a Country I love deeply as I have achieved so much here,” said Gilbert after the race. “I am glad that 2011 has started with this Italian success after my Italian win at Il Lombardia at the end of 2010 racing season.

“Yesterday I had the chance to test the final 60 kms of today’s challenge,” he continued. “The Montepaschi Strade Bianche is a great race and reminds me of my beginnings. Dirt roads are a very peculiar surface that keeps its interest from the very old times of cycling. The “pavé” is faster and requires strength, while here control is important overall.

“The race was very fast at the beginning and the group kept tight,” said the Belgian. “Riders had the chance to stay strong longer. The end was very nervous instead.”

Ordinarily Gilbert’s attacks are too fast for anyone to follow, but on this occasion he found himself with the two Italians for company.

“As I turned, I realised that Ballan was just behind me and Cunego followed in 50 meters,” he explained. “I waited until 250m to the finish line to sprint out: at the very last turn I bent to the right and the three of us braked thus leaving heavy rubber prints on the road…”

A fast start, and a big breakaway

Almost immediately the flag had been dropped Alessandro De Marchi (Androni Giocattoli) and Joost Posthuma (Leopard Trek) escaped the peloton; pressure from the BMC Racing team saw them pulled back at the 17km point though.

From that point the peloton stayed together until it reached the first, and longest, sector of white road in the race. Towards the end of the 13.5km of dusty gravel a group of ten riders pulled off the front, consisting of Giairo Ermeti (Androni Giocattoli), Martin Kohler and Greg Van Avermaet (both BMC Racing), Federico Rocchetti (De Rosa-Ceramica Flaminia), Davide Ricci Bitti (Farnese Vini-Neri), Matthias Brändle (Geox-TMC), Peter Velits (HTC-Highroad), Paolo Longo Borghini (Liquigas-Cannondale), Tom Peterson (Garmin-Cervélo) and Stuart O’Grady (Leopard Trek).

"It wasn't the perfect situation to go with the early breakaway but O'Grady made the jump and I just followed him and we were gone," Van Avermaet said afterwards. "When you have such good legs, you try to make the best of it."

Just a few kilometres later, on the second sector of white road, Adam Hansen (OmegaPharma-Lotto) and Patrik Sinkewitz (Farnese Vini-Neri) also managed to escape and joined the front group; there were now twelve riders in the lead.

Despite its numbers the breakaway group was never allowed to build a meaningful advantage over the peloton. At the start of the third sector, after 82km, the twelve led by just 1’20”; by the end of it though, the gap had risen to 3’12”, although Diego Caccia (Farnese Vini-Neri), Vitaliy Buts (Lampre-ISD) and Alan Marangoni (Liquigas-Cannondale) were now in pursuit, almost a minute ahead of the peloton.

The peloton decides that enough is enough

The three riders were not to stay ahead for long though as, with Liquigas-Cannondale at its head, the peloton pulled them back shortly after the feedzone; the gap to the front group had now reduced to under 3 minutes.

As the peloton approached the fifth, and toughest section of white road the Lampre-ISD and Leopard Trek teams began to increase the pace and the gap to the fugitives reduced further. Meanwhile, up ahead, O’Grady and Van Avermaet accelerated and were followed by Ermeti and Brändle. There were now four riders at the front, with seven following; Ricci Bitti was swallowed up by the peloton and the eleven riders reunited once more.

On the approach to sector six O’Grady and Van Avermaet got away again; as they hit the white road though the peloton was just 43 seconds behind, which had reduced to 35 seconds as they exited the sector with 23km to go.

With just two fugitives to worry about the peloton allowed O’Grady and Van Avermaet to stay ahead across the final two sectors of white road; at 13km to go though the intrepid pair was finally caught.

The peloton breaks up and Gilbert attacks

On the rolling Tuscan roads, with just 8km to go, Cunego’s Lampre-ISD team applied the pressure and the peloton split into pieces; there were now just 20 riders in the lead group but most of the favourites were still present.

On the final climb to the hilltop city of Siena, with just over 1km to go, Gilbert put in on of his trademark attacks, and he was followed by Ballan and Cunego. The three riders got together as they raced through the mediaeval streets, but Gilbert’s final kick was too strong for the two Italians and he won by a clear margin.

For the Belgian this is just the start of his classics campaign and he is now focused on the higher-ranking races to come.

“Now I will focus on the Tirreno Adriatico and the Milano-Sanremo,” he said. “The Tirreno-Adriatico will be key to my training to conquer the Milano-Sanremo, the Tour of Flanders and Liège.”